Part of south Arkansas under tornado watch

Winter weather advisories will go into effect later Monday for a storm system expected to drop up to three inches of snow in parts of Northwest Arkansas.

Several counties in south Arkansas, meanwhile, were under a tornado watch Monday afternoon.

The National Weather Service says the same system that will deliver blizzard conditions to other parts of the country will usher in rain through most of Arkansas. In the northwest part of the state, it will gradually change over to snow after midnight.

The winter weather advisory goes into effect at 6 p.m. for Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties and midnight for Boone, Johnson and Newton counties.

One to two inches of snow is expected for much of the area with up to three inches possible in higher elevations. Forecasters say some travel problems are possible.

In south Arkansas, Ashley, Chicot, Columbia, Lafayette, Miller and Union counties are under a tornado watch until 8 p.m.

No snow is expected in central or southern Arkansas, where the precipitation will fall as rain. Up to an inch is possible by the end of Monday in Little Rock.

John Robinson, senior warning coordination meteorologist for the weather service in North Little Rock, said some parts of the state could see thunderstorms producing small hail. Some could reach severe levels in the southern quarter of the state with large being the greatest threat, he said in an e-mail.